‘Largest residential development’ in Batesburg-Leesville’s history moves forward
A proposed subdivision could bring nearly 200 homes to Batesburg-Leesville, a rural town at the far edge of Lexington County. It would be the largest residential subdivision in the town’s history, officials said.
The Creekside Ridge subdivision would bring 199 single-family homes to 80 acres of land behind the town’s Walmart and right near Batesburg-Leesville High School. The proposed development sees Lexington County’s continued growth pushing further west, following new housing developments that have crept out to long-rural areas like Red Bank and Gilbert. The population of Batesburg-Leesville, which sits in both Lexington and Saluda counties, teeters just over 5,200 people and has remained around that level over the last three decades.
After more than a year in the works, the project is one final sign-off away from seeing construction begin. The town’s planning commission reviewed the preliminary plat for the subdivision at a May 27 meeting and approved the project with stipulations to ensure the developers included things like street lighting and sidewalks.
“Whenever a subdivision is going through planning commission, they usually have four or five meetings they’ve got to go through ... it’s a process for the whole subdivision to go through the planning commission,” Batesburg-Leesville Town Manager Jay Hendrix told The State.
The property is being developed by Wilkie Development, LLC who purchased the land in December 2023 for $1.1 million, according to county property records. That same development company is also behind the proposed 600-plus homes aimed for 221 acres where Edmund Highway and Bluff Ridge Road intersect in an unincorporated area of Lexington County southwest of South Congaree.
Jason Wilkie, the owner of the development company, said the project is primarily being targeted as workforce housing for the area, with the intention of keeping the houses affordable.
“We’re excited to provide something to Batesburg-Leesville that they haven’t had in a really long time and so we feel like this is something that could be really good for the community,” Wilkie told The State. He’s originally from Lexington and has worked in the business of building homes for more than two decades.
The project joins at least five others that have been approved or proposed within Lexington County since the beginning of the year — from a cluster of townhomes in West Columbia to two different subdivisions set to bring 300 homes to the Gaston area. The county has grown by nearly 50,000 people since 2010 and is expected to add another 33,000 by 2040, according to population estimates. As the area grows, elected officials and planning commission members have struggled to find the balance between the need for more housing to accommodate the increasing population and the desire of longtime residents to remain rural.
“There are plenty of people that want us to maintain the small town feel,” Hendrix said. “I am a lifelong resident, myself, and I don’t want us to lose our character.
“I don’t think anybody wants us to lose our character, but at the same time, the growth is coming and we just need to try to manage it,” he added, noting that the town council has plans to update its comprehensive land use plan.
This story was originally published May 30, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
